Use of a Combined Blood Glucose Meter (BGM) and Mobile Diabetes App to Manage Diabetes

Elizabeth Holt, MD, FACE: Hello, and welcome to Between the Lines: A Journal Club Experience. Today’s featured article is “Improved Glycemic Control using a Bluetooth-Connected Blood Glucose Monitor and a Mobile Diabetes App: Real-world Evidence From Over 144,000 Patients With Diabetes.” My name is Dr Elizabeth Holt, and I’m the head of global medical clinical and safety at LifeScan. I’m an endocrinologist with 28 years of experience in the private practice of general endocrinology. Joining me is my colleague Dr Eden Miller, the founder of the nonprofit organization called Diabetes Nation and CEO [chief executive officer] of Diabetes and Obesity Care in Bend, Oregon. In today’s discussion, we’ll review data relating to real-world evidence of the use of the One-Touch Reveal [OTR] mobile app with the OneTouch Verio Flex [OTVF] blood glucose meter to optimize and improve glycemic metrics in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. The full publication is available with open access at the Journal for Diabetes Science and Technology.

This study comprises 1 of the largest combined blood glucose meter and diabetes app data sets ever published. The real-world data provide insights into improved glycemic metrics among patients with diabetes, using a Bluetooth-connected blood glucose meter together with a diabetes management digital app. In this study, patients used the OneTouch Verio Flex meter and the OneTouch Reveal app. This retrospective analysis showed that overall, patients with diabetes with at least 180 readings within the 180-day time frame—using the One Touch Reveal app with the One Touch Verio Flex Meter—experienced better glycemic control. They showed improved glucose readings and range, to 70 to 180 mg/dL, and by 6.1 percentage points, from 54.5% to 60.6%, in patients with type 1 diabetes and by 11.9 percentage points, from 68.2% to 80.1%, in patients with type 2 diabetes. They reduced hyperglycemic readings over 180 mg/dL by 6.6 percentage points, from 40.5% to 33.9%, in patients with type 1 diabetes, and by 12 percentage points from 30.3% to 18.3% in patients with type 2 diabetes. It reduced reading glucose by 11.4 mg/dL in type 1 diabetes and by 19.5 mg/dL in type 2 diabetes.

The data also showed that a cohort spending as few as 10 to 20 minutes per week in the OneTouch Reveal app connected to the OneTouch Verio Flex meter showed improved glucose readings in a range in patients with type 1 diabetes by 7 percentage points, and in patients with type 2 diabetes by 12 percentage points. It reduced their hypoglycemic readings by 7.7 percentage points in patients with type 1 diabetes and by 12.1 percentage points in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Transcript edited for clarity